Teong Eng Siong
Singapore
“Sir, on a point of order. (In Mandarin) Sir, just now the Minister said that by suggesting the granting of citizenship to these people I would be inviting competition because they would then be allowed to apply for hawker licence and HDB flats. I did not say that.”
“Only two? Mr Chua Sian Chin: Two out of 35 from the Land Divisions and 18 from the Radio Division. I think that is sufficient. If the Member is not aware, may I say that we have asked the Management Services Department of the Ministry of Finance to make a recent study into the adequacy of patrol cars on patrol at any one time.”
“Very often on pay days they crowd into the post office and pack up all the space, and the small number of staff would be kept very busy. According to my understanding, the small post office there will soon be receiving payments for PUB bills for the benefit of the people there. Of course, this will be convenient to the residents there.”
“Sir,I have also noticed that roads built under the gotong royong scheme are much better than those built by the contractors. Even after several years of use, these roads are still good.”
“Sir, in view of the Parliamentary Secretary's satisfactory explanation. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $159,839,000 for Head O ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $1,213,685,000 for Head O ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head P -”
“Another problem concerns the many HDB flats in certain areas which have not been taken up after allotment and have been left vacant for a long time. There are many such vacant flats in my constituency, for instance. Marsiling (a part of the Woodlands New Town), and I believe the same is true of other housing estates. Why?”
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“I think the Government's measures against yellow culture have been very well carried out. But I have also discovered that there are some loopholes. Of course, from the point of view of film importers, if Government can only relax certain regulations, they will stand to benefit. If Government can only allow strip-tease shows, this will appeal to them very much because this is in their own interest. However, the Government will have to carry out certain measures in accordance with its cultural policy. This is even more so now that Singapore has achieved independence. The Member for Sembawang has raised certain points, and I have certain views about them. Sometimes it is not the substance that matters. It may be film importers have used various means to attract members of the public, or perhaps they have purposefully emphasised certain sexual scenes in order to attract members of the public. 4.00 p.m. Sometimes in a story various means are used to arouse the emotions of the people so as to attract them to these films for their own benefit. I personally feel Government should introduce strict measures to stop the film operators from using immoral means and various sexual appeals in advertising certain films. Some advertisements are really appalling. I have forgotten the titles of these films. In the Tiong Bahru and Tiong Poh areas, I have come across certain advertisements in which there were four ladies in very short panties. They were scantily dressed in order to attract passers-by and these advertisements were placed at street corners. Motorists too were attracted to the advertisements. As a result of this, the lives of others were endangered by these motorists driving their vehicles. I feel it is my duty to point out the very sexual appeal in the advertisements.”
“Of course, we may have to be careful that these films imported from the countries I have mentioned earlier have to be treated with the same caution. By all means we agree, knowing full well ourselves the struggles we have been through to defeat anti-national forces. But surely the process of censorship can be expedited with no weakening of our armour. The grumble amongst the importers of these films is that the Censor authority takes a long time - some three to four months - to screen these films. It is pretty well known that films usually are imported to coincide with certain festive occasions and periods in the year when the importers believe the films will make the biggest impact. You can, therefore, imagine, Sir, their quandary perhaps to find that after having paid through their noses to get the film into Singapore, it does not get through the censor barriers until the season for that picture is completely over. In these circumstances, the importer, instead of having a large box office draw, loses a lot when the film for which he pays so much gets out of season. I believe this is a genuine complaint, and I hope it will be met. But I want to make it clear, nevertheless, that I am holding no particular brief for these operators. My only interest is that there is a crying need for a sensible arrangement. We do not want our citizens to be deprived of their measure of appropriate entertainment because the wheels in the Film Censors Board move so very slowly. They can be made to move faster so that cinema operators can confidently arrange for the entertainment of this section of the people of Singapore. Madam Chan Choy Siong (Delta)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have similar views on this subhead.”
“If we continue to tolerate such unhealthy films being shown in our cinemas here, they will not only annul the effort we have made in the past to destroy yellow culture, but it will also lead to an increase of all sorts of crime in our society. Therefore, in the interest of the people, I would like to urge the Minister concerned to take immediate action to put a stop to the screening of unhealthy pictures and that the Film Censors Board should carry out more stringently its work in accordance with our cultural policy and allow more healthy films, educational films, films of high artistic value to be imported into Singapore for screening. As a newly emergent nation, we should have the nourishment of a healthy culture to enable the two million people of Singapore to benefit from it and to inculcate in our people a healthy ideological outlook. Mr Ho See Beng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am in full agreement with my friend the Member for Sembawang that the Film Censors Board must be careful about censoring indecent films. The deleterious effects of indecency, violence, crime and immorality are too well known for me to preach a sermon here. But I think we are becoming too dangerously tolerant or liberal in this respect, and some drastic steps seem to be called for. That much for the Film Censors Board. Mr Speaker, Sir, I have received a representation from a cinema operator and film distributor that delay has been unduly caused by this Film Censors Board. It is obvious that films imported from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and even for that matter, from Communist China, have been unduly delayed. In this connection, Sir, I hope the Film Censors Board should try to expedite the censoring of these films as quickly as possible.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1002 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1531. Let me quote a booklet published in 1959 by the People's Action Party on its cultural policy: `We want to promote the cultures of the various races in order to fuse it into a common Malayan culture. At the same time, we want to suppress all foreign and immoral culture in order to prevent this yellow culture from undermining the moral attitude of our people. Many people have been victimised by this yellow culture. That is why we want to suppress the growth of yellow culture to safeguard the healthy growth of the people's minds.' Mr Speaker, Sir, I have quoted the policy on culture formulated by the P.A.P. in 1959 and ever since the Government has been following it. On the one hand, we are trying to promote healthy culture and, on the other hand, we are ruthlessly suppressing foreign immoral and yellow culture. Therefore, in the past few years healthy culture has been thriving. But what surprises me is that recently in many cinemas in Singapore, unhealthy and yellow films have been shown. This causes us grave concern. This unhealthy culture can be classified under the following heads: firstly, fiction pictures; secondly, fighting pictures; and thirdly, romantic and immoral pictures. Mr Speaker, Sir, most of these films come from Japan or the Philippines. Their contents are absurd and against ethical values, the stories are very absurd too. Most of these films show armed robberies and illegal sexual relations between men and women. They appeal to people of low taste. They will undermine the minds of our adolescents and young people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am very grateful for the explanation given by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture. I withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Inche Mahmud Awang (Kampong Kapor)(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1002 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1331. Mr Speaker, Sir, is this Ministry aware that the News Section (TV and Radio) has issued news emanating from our neighbouring countries whose attitude is one of animosity towards us? Sometimes the news is given wide publicity. Is this News Section still under the control of the Ministry in Malaysia, or are the officers in this News Section run by officers seconded from the Malaysian News Section? What is the attitude or policy of the Ministry on the News Section which issues news emanating from our neighbouring countries whose attitude is one of enmity towards us? What are the changes whereby the news items of our country can be given more prominence than the news from our neighbouring countries? Is it possible that news regarding our country can be given wider publicity?”
“They have always been indifferent to the promotion of the national language as though it has nothing to do with them. Yet they claim themselves to be a political Party that supports Malay as the national language. Their claim judged from their action is very doubtful. In addition to sponsoring and conducting the National Language Month or National Language Week, the Dewan also produces literature in the national language. But I feel that there are other fields of work which the Dewan has not been able to undertake. 3.15 p.m. I do not know whether it will be able to do work in other fields, such as the compilation of a new Malay dictionary, because when we learn the Malay language, we need more reference books of this nature. Although there are Malay dictionaries available in the bookshops, they were compiled several years ago, and the new words are not found in them. I also suggest that the Dewan should pay more attention to the promotion of the national language. I feel that the holding of National Language Month once a year is not enough. In addition, it should also hold forums and discussion groups on the national language to encourage and promote its use. For instance, it can encourage students from the primary or secondary schools to learn the national language so that the study of the national language can be undertaken jointly by all people concerned. This will be a great help in the promotion of the national language.”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1002 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1181. Mr Speaker, the Dewan Bahasa dan Kebudayaan Kebangsaan was established in 1960 after Singapore had self-government. Its purpose is mainly to carry out campaigns for the study of the national language, to encourage the people to learn and use it, and also to help the Government implement its language policy. It is hoped that the different races in Singapore will be able to use a common language in the near future. Since the establishment of this Dewan, it has been working assiduously in the promotion of the national language. Two National Language Months were held this year and we received keen support from all sections of the people. Cultural groups and the Dewan co-operated in promoting the learning of the national language. Because of this joint effort, more and more non-Malays are studying the language. This can be seen from the number of people who took part in Malay examinations in recent years. Mr Speaker, when people are keenly responding to the movement, we find that there are two abnormal phenomena. The first is that one political Party, which calls itself as representing the Malays, namely, U.M.N.O., has never taken part in the Government's campaign to promote the national language. This causes people to doubt what they say they represent. In actual fact, Malay is their mother tongue. And now the P.A.P. Government has made Malay the national language and has encouraged all people, including non-Malays, to learn Malay. Yet U.M.N.O. has not responded to our appeal, They have totally disregarded and ignored our National Language Month and the promotion of the national language. This is regrettable. Another political Party is the Barisan Sosialis.”
“Mr Speaker, do you want me to repeat what I have said?”
“Mr Speaker, I have a certain excerpt from a newspaper to quote to you. This quotation appears in the Malay Mail. The reporter is one Mr Harold Soh. In today's Malay Mail, on page 4, there is a report of the proceedings in the Committee of Supply of our Parliament. It said that the Member for Sembawang had produced a black-list of nurses and given it to the Minister for Health. In actual fact, it was wrong reporting, because I only gave the information which the Minister required of me. So I would like the paper concerned to correct the wrong reporting.”
“When the re-registration campaign starts, we will set up centres in various parts of the island, and the cards issued will be specially processed plastic cards. I have a sample here to show Members. This is the exact size of the card that we are going to issue as an identity card, but the design of the card has not been finalised because we are waiting for an artist to draw up a suitable format. 5.00 p.m. There are also various other technical matters to be considered. This sample card here is of a very convenient size, and it is waterproof, forgery-proof, and even crease-proof. When we have dealt with the issue of these identity cards, the machinery that we have purchased will be available to laminate the other documents such as the citizenship certificate and the birth certificate. At present we do not have this equipment. We have placed an order elsewhere to purchase this laminating machine. As soon as we have it, and after the re-registration campaign is completed, it will then be possible for us to go into the question of laminating the birth certificate and the citizenship certificate, as suggested by the Member just now. [Turning to the Member for River Valley} If you want this ---”
“They are not happy with this long delay and waiting. So I hope the authority concerned will rectify this. Fourth, the complaint about language difficulties. For example, some Hakka people do not understand Hokkien, or some Indians do not understand Malay. Although there are some interpreters in the Citizenship Registry who know many dialects, they do not know all the dialects. So in future when we employ interpreters, we must see that they know all the dialects so that the language difficulties can be solved. The Minister for Labour (Mr Jek Yeun Thong): Mr Speaker, Sir, I must thank the Member for River Valley for having said kind words about my Ministry. As regards his suggestion that the Government should impose a fee for the issue of a certificate for citizenship, a birth certificate, and other documents, what I have to say is that we will look into the matter. Regarding the re-registration campaign, as I have pointed out earlier in the Second Reading of the National Registration Bill, we are going to issue two categories of identity cards of different colours - one for citizens and the other for non-citizens. The fee charged will he 50 cents for a citizen and $1 for a non-citizen. Here, I must take the opportunity to correct myself. Earlier I had said that the cost of issuing a card was $7. This is not correct. I have now verified it and the cost of issuing a card is about $1 after taking into consideration the machinery and equipment that we have to purchase and the number of staff that we have to engage to run the registration centres. I have corrected this in the Hansard. So 50 cents from a citizen and $1 from a non-citizen would be just enough to cover a part of the cost of the identity card.”
“Therefore, the Citizenship Office is faced with a very burdensome task and has received many complaints from members of the public. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to classify these complaints into several groups. First, there are many complaints to the effect that applications have been delayed for as long as one year and that the Citizenship Office has not given any reply to these applications. These applications do not know whether their applications have been accepted or rejected. Second, there are many applications which are very complicated. For example, an Indian who has been here since 1935 has resided here for 30 years. But during the past 30 years he has returned to India two or three times. According to the citizenship law, the period of his return to India cannot be taken into account for residential qualifications. But the authority concerned and the officials have not clearly explained to such people why their applications cannot be accepted. Therefore, the applicants in such cases came to see me because they reside in my constituency. They complained to me that their applications for citizenship had been turned down without reason and that they had not been told of the reasons. They also complained that the authority concerned and the officials in the Citizenship Office were not courteous to him. I would, therefore, like the Minister concerned to consider this matter. If there are certain civil servants who are discourteous to the public, it will affect our reputation as a Government. Third, the complaint is that perhaps after independence many people have to apply for citizenship, and therefore the Citizenship Office is crowded with applicants. But most of the applicants have to wait for at least one day before their cases can be attended to.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, citizenship is very important and essential to the people of this country, especially after Singapore has achieved its independence. The people who are citizens are entitled to many benefits, for example, free education, housing, employment opportunities, free medical services. They are also entitled to the right to vote and the right to be elected. During the past ten years, many people in Singapore have realised the importance of citizenship. Therefore, this Citizenship Registry is very busy because the applicants run into thousands.”
“Mr Speaker. I would like to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Sim Boon Woo --- That the sum to be allocated for Head 0702 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1611.*”
“I thank the Minister for Health for giving me a detailed reply. Just now I did not accuse all the nurses. I just mentioned that there were some occasions of that nature. I was not generalising, otherwise the good name of the medical services would be adversely affected. If the Minister wants the names, I have a list already prepared for him. I can give him this list of names.”
“Sir, I would like the Minister concerned to see whether there is such an incident, and I would like to know what is the reason for this happening. Secondly, in respect of doctors and nurses, they do not promptly deal with emergency cases. Of course, I understand there are lots of sick people going to the General Hospital to seek treatment, and I understand the doctors and nurses are overworked. But in emergency or acute cases, doctors and nurses seem not to have acted promptly in dealing with them. Sometimes patients suffering from appendicitis have had to wait for two or three hours, and this delay might have been fatal to them. So I urge the hospital authorities to be more concerned with these emergency cases and act promptly when they arise. Thirdly, concerning the attitude of some nurses in the General Hospital. Many members of the public have complained that the nurses have not been courteous enough when dealing with patients. Sometimes they have been contemptuous. So I hope the authorities concerned will look into this matter. I hope such incidents have been very rare, and that there will not be any more of these to destroy the good reputation of our medical institutions. The staff should be taught courtesy and to be kind and tender-hearted especially when dealing with patients. Mr Speaker, I understand the Ministry of Health has been conducting a nurse-training course. Apart from giving nurses medical training, they should also be given courtesy training so that they may treat members of the public well, especially the patients.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0702 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1051. Mr Speaker, in the field of medical services, our country has won general acclaim. The Government has spent $40 million to look after the health and medical services for the people. Clinics have been built to look after the people's health. In spite of the smallness of our country, our health services can be said to be on par with the standard obtainable in any other country. For this, I have to thank the Minister for Health and our Government for their able leadership. But there is nothing perfect in all respects. Therefore, I have to comment somewhat on the drawbacks and shortcomings of the General Hospital. The General Hospital has been set up for quite a long time. It has an important place in Singapore's medical history. It has set up an exemplary record in medical service. Nevertheless, I have received several complaints from members of the public about the General Hospital. Firstly, I would like to give an example. In my constituency, there is a spinster 60 years old who cannot see beyond several yards. She went for treatment at the General Hospital. But the officer-in-charge of the Eye Clinic there did not treat her eye disease and did not give any reasons. So this lady was very frustrated and came to see me. I sent her with a letter to see the Medical Officer-in-charge on the 6th of December. He recorded her particulars, including her name and address, and asked her to go back, telling her that she would be called when necessary. As far as I understand, the lady, after three weeks, has not been called back for any attention.”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to withdraw, and I will talk about it when we come to that item.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, what I am referring to is the item relating to "Assistant Secretary (Registrar of Citizens)" under subhead 1015.”
“Sir, below this item "Assistant Secretary", there is another item under the heading of "Singapore Citizenship Registry". So this refers to the "Registrar of Citizens".”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1015. Mr Speaker, Sir, citizenship is very important to everybody, because if a person has citizenship he is entitled to all facilities and amenities, such as education, social welfare, housing and the enjoyment of free medical attention. All these are the rights of a citizen. Politically speaking, whoever has citizenship has the right to vote and to be elected -”
“I thank you for your guidance. I was mentioning those things in passing because they touch on the labour field. Let me now talk about the Government's expenditure on education and housing. About $100 million will be allotted for housing development, of which $45 million will be for building and other sums have been allotted for other purposes. This goes to show that the Government is not neglecting this project and other development projects, include the reclamation of land. This is very important in land-hungry Singapore. On the other hand, a historic plan in urban renewal will be carried out next year and very soon our country will be turned into a modernised country in this century. Mr Speaker, the expenditure for next year will be about one-quarter of our budget. This is important, because if we want our country to be strong, then we must popularise education and raise the educational standard of the people. The Government policy is to regard education as important as the social amenities to the people. Therefore, the $120 million to be spent in this respect is quite a handsome sum. Under the Government's financial, commercial and industrial policies, we believe that our commerce and industry will be able to develop quickly. With the diligence, intelligence, business acumen and efforts of the workers together, I believe we will be able jointly to build a more just and happy society with a high living standard. 3.57 p.m.”
“is a strong influence in nation building. If the N.T.U.C. can continue to lead the trade union movement by providing intelligent leadership and treating the workers with intelligence, then I believe that it will grow stronger day by day, and we can ensure that our Government's policy on labour is not changed. On 16th October, the Minister said that the Government's policy was to encourage the development of non-Communist democratic trade unionism, so that it may be built into a strong -”
“Therefore, our Government, in order to alleviate the worries of prospective investors in this respect, has drawn up pioneer industry laws to provide safeguards and tax concessions to investors. On the one hand, these concessions are for three to five years, and, on the other hand, there is provision for the regulation of workers. So far, there has been no trouble in this field, and the workers have been able to live and work smoothly in good surroundings. Mr Speaker, because of the importance of workers in industrialisation and the importance of trade unionism in this development programme, let me touch a little on this. In trade unionism, there are apparently two factions. We all remember that in 1961 there was the argument for and against merger and Malaysia, which led to an open split in the leadership of the trade union movement. There were the pro-Communist trade unions led by Lim Ching Siong on the one side and the democratic socialist unions led by Mr Devan Nair on the other side. Because of conflicting views, they agreed to part, and trade unionism developed along two different lines. This led to the formation of the present trade union, the N.T.U.C., consisting of 100,000 workers and which is non-Communist and democratic in principle. On the other hand, there is the Left-wing pro-Communist trade union led by pro-Communists and their stooges, who use the workers as pawns in their political struggle. Their actions and activities, which were detrimental to the interests of the workers, did not satisfy the workers and they resigned from their trade unions. This led to the collapse of these trade unions. They are now on their way down the drain. On the other hand, the healthy non-Communist democratic trade unionism under the leadership of the N.T.U.C.”
“Although Indonesia has stopped its trade with us because of confrontation, this has not hampered us in any way in our economic progress. Mr Speaker, the Economic Development Board has undertaken joint investments with industrialists and, as a result, there is good progress in industrial development in Jurong. According to what the Minister for Finance has said, there are 82 pioneer factories engaged in production. They engage 9,000 workers. More factories will be in production. If all are in production, then the workers employed will be 15,000. The Minister for Finance has also announced that the industrial output is estimated at $1,100 million. This shows an increase over the previous year's figure. According to the Minister, our industries have a sound foundation, and the aim of our people to industrialise has now materialised. With the co-operation of the Government, I believe that in three or four years' time, our industries will be very prosperous and will definitely bear fruit, thus earning more foreign exchange for us. Mr Speaker, on the question of industrialisation, we are faced with certain problems. One of them concerns the working class. From 1954-61, there were general strikes in Singapore which discouraged prospective local and foreign investors from investing here. If they were to invest large sums of money in local industries, they would naturally hope to get some profits and dividends. But if the workers go on strike even before the products are put on the market, then industries will be killed even before any profits can be made. The investments will thus come to nothing.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the motion moved by the Minister for Finance on 13th December, 1965, in connection with the 1966 Budget. Although our country is small, we are able to maintain a balance in the expenditure and revenue in spite of the additional burdens of defence and foreign affairs, and also without increasing taxation in the coming year. This fact shows the soundness of our economic position. Such a financial policy is also a healthy one. It has been praised and well supported by people from all sections in Singapore. On the one hand, the Government is trying to industrialise and, on the other hand, it has also not neglected the present entrepot trade. They are regarding this with favour. Our country is trying to establish trade relations with more countries, such as Russia and African countries, and enter other markets in the international field. This financial policy is the most suitable one for our country in the present context of South- East Asia. This is the correct policy to adopt. In the end, it will lead to economic progress and prosperity. It will bring more jobs to our people and raise their living standard. At the same time, it will help the further development of our economy. Mr Speaker, whether or not the economic base of a country is sound depends on population and the increase in national income. The 1965 figures show a total income of $2,100 million. But there was an increase of $108 million in the subsequent period. The average income per capita in 1961 was $200, but this year it is about $1,200 per head. This shows the increase in our national income per capita and the growth of our economic development.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask a supplementary question. According to what I know, there is a regulation stipulated by the Government that if there are 200 families they are entitled to one community centre. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is going to implement this policy according to the regulation.”
“For that purpose, all the people should volunteer to join the People's Forces in order to defend our country, so that we may survive. There is a Chinese saying that it is the duty of every citizen to see that his nation exists, and this kind of patriotic act is the surest guarantee of our continued survival and the existence of our nation. Mr Speaker, Sir, this newly independent country of ours has given all the people new tasks to perform in order to build a model country in which all races will have equal status. The minority races will have special safeguards in the Constitution. Everybody can play his part in nation-building. Every able-bodied person and youth should brace himself for the task of nation-building and render his services to the country to the best of his ability, whether it is in the fields of commerce, education, agriculture, defence, or in any other field of human activity. Everyone can contribute his hit to enable the country to march forward to become a modernised and highly industrialised country which will bring about an affluent society for all the two million people of Singapore --- a new model society. Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Yang di-Pertuan Negara for his speech, and I support the motion. 2.53 p.m.”
“This policy is good for our society. Under this policy a high living standard for our people has been brought about. From 1961-64 we implemented the first Five-Year Plan. We spent about $870 million in economic development, housing, industrial development, public administration, social services, and other services which have given a great impetus to the progress of Singapore. From 1961 there have been annual increases in revenue and expenditure on development is also increasing. In 1961 the sum was $230 million, and in 1964 it was $280 million. There was an increase of 7 per cent. Additional sums are to he allotted for the additional one year to the First Plan. Large sums have again been allotted for the next Five-Year Plan which will he used for social reforms, housing, urban redevelopment and industrialisation which will create more opportunities of employment, and which will lead to the modernisation of our City State. Undoubtedly this Five-Year Development Plan can be expected to succeed. This will further raise the standard of living of our people who are already enjoying a comfortable standard of living, just as what was said in the policy speech. British bases now in Singapore are only a temporary measure for our own defence. Therefore, our Government is contemplating the implementation of a volunteer force in order to defend our country. No matter how the Barisan Sosialis and their stooges boycott us, the people will pay no heed to such foolish antics. These measures strongly reflect the fact that our nation is recognised as one having a good standing. The people understand very well that it is the duty of everybody to contribute his bit to the continued progress of his country.”
“We have recognised Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English as the four official languages, with Malay as the common national language. In fact, this humane and correct policy will not only bring about prosperity and stability to our nation, but it is also one that has the popular support of the people. From this we can see that the policy of nation-building based on multi-racialism is one that is acceptable to all. It is the only correct one. It is also a humanitarian policy which can lead to the happiness and prosperity of our country. In Switzerland, where the same policy is pursued, we also see peace and happiness. The events in Rhodesia and South Africa and in some other countries, on the contrary, are not very enviable for us to emulate. There is discrimination in those countries. They are in a state of turmoil and we can see sanguinary fratricidal activities going on there. We want to remind the racial extremists of such racial inequality and the tragedy that is taking place there. They should reconsider their attitude. They should open their eyes wide and see what is taking place in South Africa, Rhodesia and Cyprus where there are racial disturbances. These conflicts are a great tragedy. Mr Speaker. I shall now touch on the Five-Year Plan as contained in the policy speech of the Yang di- Pertuan Negara. The task ahead is for a peaceful reformation of our society. After seven years of continuous improvements in building and construction, we have achieved certain objectives. These achievements have won the general applause of international circles. They have acclaimed our achievements. Even our Minister for Finance, Mr Lim Kim San, was acknowledged for his meritorious service in nation-building by being presented with the Magsaysay Award.”
“The talk by the Barisan Sosialis that Singapore's independence is false should be condemned by all the people of Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, what has made the case of the Barisan Sosialis so sad is the Fact that the people have not paid any attention to their shouting of slogans. Their boycott has caused no surprise because all the people have come to realise that their performance and the shouting of slogans that Singapore is a neo-colonialist country created by an imperialist plot have been seen through by the people. Now the people are discerning. In the end, in the course of history, such a hunch of political adventurers will be buried by the overwhelming strength of the people. The task ahead of us is to build a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-religious society - fair and just - in which everybody can get a fair share of the facilities and benefits offered by the country and where nobody will he discriminated against by others. This has all along been our objective, in fact, since 1959 when our Party came to power. This policy has been implemented ever since we have been in power. It is the one best fitted to the multi-racial character of our society. The intelligent leadership and policy of the Government have rallied the people closer together. They have set an objective for all the people to strive for. All patriotic citizens should seize this opportunity to do their best in this work of nation-building. This policy is the only correct one that can lead our country towards a happy and prosperous society. Although the Chinese are the majority in Singapore, our policy is based on multi-racialism. This is the basis of our policy in nation building.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, the policy speech delivered by His Excellency the Yang di-Pertuan Negara in this House has enumerated the new policies and programmes for our nation-building. All these programmes and policies represent a challenge. They outline our aims and tasks for nation-building, that is, to build a multi-racial, democratic socialist society which is fair and just. The task of nation-building is not of the Government alone. It is also the task of all patriotic citizens. All people should be mobilised. The opening of the present Session is a new page in the history of Singapore. It has ushered in a new era in the history of Singapore as an independent and sovereign country. It has ushered in an era in which we should all contribute our best towards building a prosperous and happy nation. What is regrettable is that when such an era is being ushered in, the Barisan Sosialis Members are not sharing our sentiments and the sentiments of the people when they resort to boycotting this Session or Parliament. This is understandable from their philosophy - subversion against our nation. We condemn the Barisan Sosialis action in boycotting the Parliament and in resorting to anti-national activities. As Assemblymen elected by the people, their basic duty is to speak for the people and to voice the intentions and the will of the people in this House. Yet they have gone out of their way to say that our independence is phoney and that our sovereignty is only superficial. More than 100 nations throughout the world have recognised in as an independent and sovereign country, although ours is a small country. This can be seen from the keen welcome extended to our Goodwill Mission to Afro-Asian countries led by our Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Toh Chin Chye.”